Implications of Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite Observations for Interstellar Chemistry and Star Formation

Details Implications of Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite Observations for Interstellar Chemistry and Star Formation Implications of Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite Observations for Interstellar Chemistry and Star Formation

Aug 2000

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2000apj...539l.129b&link_type=abstract

The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 539, Issue 2, pp. L129-L132.

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

90

Ism: Abundances, Ism: Evolution, Ism: Molecules, Molecular Processes, Stars: Formation

Scientific paper

A long-standing prediction of steady state gas-phase chemical theory is that H2O and O2 are important reservoirs of elemental oxygen and major coolants of the interstellar medium. Analysis of Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS) observations has set sensitive upper limits on the abundance of O2 and has provided H2O abundances toward a variety of star-forming regions. Based on these results, we show that gaseous H2O and O2 are not dominant carriers of elemental oxygen in molecular clouds. Instead, the available oxygen is presumably frozen on dust grains in the form of molecular ices, with a significant portion potentially remaining in atomic form, along with CO, in the gas phase. H2O and O2 are also not significant coolants for quiescent molecular gas. In the case of H2O, a number of known chemical processes can locally elevate its abundance in regions with enhanced temperatures, such as warm regions surrounding young stars or in hot shocked gas. Thus, water can be a locally important coolant. The new information provided by SWAS, when combined with recent results from the Infrared Space Observatory, also provides several hard observational constraints for theoretical models of the chemistry in molecular clouds, and we discuss various models that satisfy these conditions.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Implications of Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite Observations for Interstellar Chemistry and Star Formation does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Implications of Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite Observations for Interstellar Chemistry and Star Formation, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Implications of Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite Observations for Interstellar Chemistry and Star Formation will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-736422